Maximum Ride: Nudge Forever
by GrassFairy
Summary: ... I have to do this Max, I hope you understand. I might be back, I might not, but if it all works out, we should see each other soon. Nudge, Forever
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I just wanted to get this out, so sorry if there are any stupid errors. This takes place post-Angel, with Max and Fang's gang. From the title, you could probably tell that this is about Nudge! I love Fax, but lats face it, it's getting old, so I'm focusing this story more on the other flock members. R&R please!

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><p>Nudge wouldn't sleep. She lay on her side, facing the window, covers and pillows strewn about the floor. The avian girl was staring out into the night, at the stars and moon. It wasn't that she couldn't sleep, she just refused to. There had been too much on her mind lately, and sleeping was just a waste of time.<p>

She closed her eyes for a moment, listening. All she heard was the sound of soft snoring from the other rooms. Quietly, she sat up, then turned, swinging her legs over the side of her bed. Nudges bare feet brushed the ground, and she gradually put weight on them, taking extra precautions to be quiet. One squeak, and the whole flock would go on red alert.

Thankfully, the floorboards stayed silent. Nudge let out a relieved sigh. She made her way to the window, the silver light of the moon shining in her eyes. The young avian slipped her fingers under the window, and was about to lift it up, but she stopped, shoulders slumping and hands dropping to her sides.

Nudge turned around, then tiptoed out of her room, slipping through the half-opened door. She stopped. Her room was at the very back of the hallway, and she would have to make it past all of her flockmates to make it downstairs. She took a deep breath, let it out, then made her way across the hall.

Immediately, Nudge wished that she had grabbed some socks. The sticky sound of her feet on the wood floor seemed unbearably loud. When she got to the stairs, Nudge grabbed the railing, using it to take some weight off her feet. She was halfway down when she felt something soft ad warm under her foot.

Nudge almost screamed, but realized it was only Total. He blinked, gazing up at her, then rolled over, falling asleep and muttering something like "Oh Akila, we shall take a gondola ride through Venice..." Nudge rolled her eyes. At the bottom of the steps, Nudge looked up. No one had heard her. She smiled, making her way to the supercomputer.

She powered up the laptop, cringing at the noise of the fans whirring. Every couple of seconds, she glanced over her shoulder, paranoid that someone would come downstairs. The laptop, after what had felt like hours, finally got to the main screen. Nudge pulled up the internet, fingers flying across the keyboard. She pulled up Fang's blog, and typed a message to him. Most of the messages sent to him would have been blocked, but not Nudge's. For starters, she had a military edition supercomputer and secondly, her hacking skills rivaled that of the pros. She typed a message, then clicked 'send.'

Star had been walking through the living room when she heard a little blip. She whipped around, facing Fang's laptop. There was a little envelope with wings animation jumping up and down on his screen. She smiled.

"Oh Faaang!" She called. The teen came into the room, holding a can of generic brand soda. "You've got some Fang-mail." She joked, walking away from the computer as Fang walked towards it. His pm account was private, who could have… but his question was answered when he saw the address.

The message read: FAAAAAANG. WE NEED TO TALK.

Fang couldn't think of anything to say, so he just sent: Isn't it a little late?

There was a little 'blip,' and Nudges response appeared on the screen. His eyes widened at her message, and he typed furiously back, brows furrowed. In no time, there was another 'blip' and another message from his ex-flockmate.

Fang sighed, shaking his head. He typed another message, sent it, then covered his face with his hands.

Nudge jumped as she heard another 'blip.' She read Fangs message, and almost jumped up and whooped. Almost. Nudge scrabbled through the desk drawers, then found what she was looking for. In the dark, she scribbled a message.

After she was done with her note, she taped it to the computer screen, but not before she erased the history on the computer. If Max found out about her talk with Fang, she would've flipped. Nudge shuffled around in the dark, grabbing a backpack. She looked longingly up the staircase. Why hadn't she brought down her clothes? And she knew that she had a stack of new Pop Magazines on her desk. She sighed. It was too late; she couldn't risk getting caught now.

Quickly, she darted to the fridge, blinded by the light when she opened the door. After shoveling random items into her bag, she closed the door, temporarily blinded by the darkness. After her vision cleared, she turned, but saw a figure looking in the doorway. She opened her mouth to scream, but the figure waved his hands to quiet her.

"Nudge, Nudge, it's me." The voice belonged to Dylan. Nudges heart slowed down.

"Hey! What are you doing?" She hissed, hiking up the pack on her shoulder, glaring at Dylan through the darkness.

"Me? I was coming to see what you were doing." He retorted.

Nudge sighed. "I…" She didn't know what to say.

"Are you leaving?" Dylan whispered in a soft voice.

Nudge nodded, not sure if the superhot avian could see her in the dark. For the first time since she had made the decision, Nudge felt her stomach twist. Could she really leave? Would she be letting everyone down? And worst of all: what would Max think? Nudge felt hot tears prick the back of her eyes. She closed them, but the tears spilled out anyway. She heard Dylan moving towards her.

"It's ok," Dylan crooned, kneeling down beside her. A small sob escaped Nudge. Dylan wrapped his arms around the young girl.

"Hey, it's going to be ok. You're very brave for doing something like this." Dylan whispered in her ear.

For a moment, it wasn't Dylan who was holding nudge, it was Fang. Nudge knew that Fang was hundreds of miles away, but that's what it felt like to her.

"It…" Nudge struggled to find the words. "It's not right. I can't leave my family. I can't leave. I can't. I can't." Nudge whispered, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

Dylan held her out at arm's length. "It is right. If it's what you feel, it is right." Dylan said. Even though it was too dark for Nudge to see his face, she could visualize his understanding expression and his honest blue eyes.

"If Max finds out, blame me. I wouldn't want her to kill you." Nudge said quietly, but she was serious. Dylan's shoulders jerked slightly, as if he was laughing, but he stopped.

"Yeah… you're probably right." The two stood.

"Get going little duck," he said, nodding towards the window. Nudge smiled back, then walked over to the window. She looked over her shoulder, then ran back to Dylan, wrapping her arms around his midsection. Dylan just ran a hand over her hair, patting her back with the other.

"Thanks Dylan." She said, looking up at him with her soft chocolate eyes. Then she turned, ran, and leapt straight out the window.

The cold wind met her face, and her expression lightened. She looked back at the house, and saw Dylan's figure in the window. She let out a whoop, then sailed off into the night sky.

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><p>Well? If you liked it, well stay posted, I've got more chapters coming! I hate to say this, but if I don't get more than five reviews, I won't continue. I know, call me lame, but it's too much work to write a fic that no one reads.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, thanks for my 7 (technically 3) reviews! I guess I'll reply individually.

Pennycat11: You're a sneaky one, Pennycat! Thanks for caring! ^.^

Anon: Just posted more!

HEY: Yeah, I used to hate Dylan, but Fang is being a whiny little weirdo, so Dylan doesn't seem so bad. Your questions will be answered this chapter, and the Fang/Nudge sibling stuff, that's next chapter!

On with the show! One thing though: when Max reads the letter, ~~~ indicate things Nudge crossed out, since I can't find out how to strikethrough text on FanFiction…

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><p>Nudge was smiling so much that her face hurt. The clustered lights of cities below twinkled like diamonds in an endless black bed of coal, like oases of light in the night. The wind tangled her hair into knots, which would not be fun to fix, but it didn't bother Nudge. Flying was something that the young avian would never ever get tired of. She opened her mouth to let out a gleeful shout, but the wind just snatched it away.<p>

Nudge felt her stomach twist. She was flying alone. Now, her ecstatic disposition was replaced with dread that seemed to make her feel heavier, which probably isn't the best when you're flying. She felt on edge, wary, and paranoid. It was dark; someone could sneak up on her. Nudge leaned forward, her wings pumping faster. A little voice in the back of the girl's head was reminding her of all the awful things that had and could happen to her in the air. She forced herself to go faster, faster.

Her wings were working overtime. She bit her lip to silence the horrible, nagging thoughts. _Don't think about bad things happening. _However, the thoughts were still mocking Nudge. Her teeth cut her lip, the taste of blood slid across her tongue.

_Don't think, just fly. Just fly. _Nudge's rational side was recovering. Just when the hybrid thought she was in the clear, something whizzed over her head. There was a mechanical screech, and the thing came back for her.

Nudge gasped and dove down, but it had her. She felt her hair pull against her scalp and let out a surprised yelp. Her hands shot up, and she grabbed at her attacker. Her fingers met cold metal, and when she touched it, the device let out a mechanical squawk. She was able to rip the bird-machine out of her hair, flinging it a good distance away before it came back at her.

She hovered in mid air, putting her hands out in front of her. The birds froze mid-flight, then started to twitch and spark. Nudge let out a joyful laugh. She had completely forgotten about her magnetic abilities. Instead of coming towards her, the machine just fell out of the sky. She let her hands fall back to her sides, watching the spinning metal bird spiral down, plummeting into the darkness. Nudge was confused. How had she broken it? Looking ahead of her, Nudge could see golden sunshine melting into the cool shades of the night. The bird fight disappeared from her thoughts. It was almost morning, and she was almost there.

"Alright flock, breakfast time, early bird gets the worm," I said. Worms were gross, and I hated that saying, but if I didn't get food into my stomach, I might be reduced to eating them. Luckily, we had a fully stocked fridge, so eating worms wasn't going to be my first choice.

There was no sign of movement, no answer from any of the rooms. Letting out an overly dramatic sigh, I pushed open Iggy's door. This bird kid is one weird sleeper. He was belly-down, with all of the pillows and blankets piled over his head. Like any rational person, I pulled up the blinds to let the sunshine in. Then, I face palmed. I'm not the brightest bird in the morning ok? I walked over and shoved the comforter off his face. He groaned, arms moving around, trying to find the blanket. I walked over to the door, grabbed it, and shoved it with all I had.

SLAM!

Iggy shot up, smacking his head on the ceiling. He was pretty tall, I realized. Ig looked at the door with his unseeing eyes, clutching his skull. "Max!"

I brushed off my hands and turned out of the room. My work there was done, now three more. I forced myself to open Dylan's door like a normal person, instead of kicking it in the way I really wanted to. There was no reason to take out my anger on a harmless door. He wasn't there.

Good thing I didn't kick open his door; what a waste that would've been.

Gazzy was going to be difficult. When I opened his door, he was laying perfectly in his bed, all warm and cozy under the covers. He looked so serene… well, time for me to end it.

"Gaz, I know you're awake. Nobody on Earth really sleeps like that." I crossed my arms, waiting. He didn't move. I tilted my head back and groaned.

"C'mon get up! I just wanna eat!" I whined. Then, I had an idea. I grabbed the fitted sheet under him and bundled it all together. His eyes shot open just as I closed the blanket over his head.

"Max!" He shouted, but the sheets and blankets he was wrapped in muffled his voice. I hauled him off the bed and dragged him out into the hallway.

I let the bird-bundle go, and he sprung out, thrashing at the blankets that still held him hostage. "Downstairs." I gave him a motherly glare, pointing to the staircase. He grumbled, then started crawling towards the steps.

"Nudge-" Her bed was empty. Very un-Nudge like, I thought. My stomach did a back flip. Clambering down the stairs, I headed for the kitchen. When I walked through the family flock room, I caught sight of the paper on the computer screen. Snatching it, I stared. It was definitely Nudges girly, loopy handwriting. My eyes flicked back and forth as I read:

_~Hi~Max~_

_~Dear~Max~_

_Ok, I don't write letters, you know I don't, so you know this is important. I want you to know that I love you. You'll be my big sis, always. Long story short, I went off to do something. I can't tell you what, or else you'll probably ~__kill~someone~__explode~__ be really really really mad. I know its right, but I don't know what you will think. I have to do this. __I might be back, I might not.__ If it all works out, we should see each other soon._

_~Sincerely,~Nudge~_

_~Love,~Nudge~_

_Nudge, forever._

No. The paper fell from my hand, sliding across the floor until it met Iggy's foot.

"What's this?" Iggy said. Gazzy thudded down the stairs.

"It's a note Ig, and you're holding it upside down." The blond bed head said, flipping the paper over in Iggy's hands.

"Oh! Now I can read it so much better." The blind bird kid replied sarcastically. Gazzy took the note and started reading it aloud. His eyes grew wider and his voice grew smaller as he read, finishing with a whisper.

He started up at me with terrified blue eyes, scared not because of Nudge, but because he knew what I was about to do. "Max-"

I could barely hear his voice. I snatched the note, spun around, then stormed into the kitchen. Dylan was sitting at a table in front of an open window. Golden sunlight made him glow, his aquamarine eyes shimmering.

Any other day, I would have been dazzled.

But today was not 'any other day.'

"Good morning Ma-"

"Don't you 'good morning' me!" I yelled. Judging but the shuffling of feet the rest of the flock (AKA Iggy and the Gasman) came for nosebleed seats in The Max VS Dylan Smackdown. I shook the note in front of the avian's face, well, I held it, but my hand was trembling. "Tell me you didn't know." I seethed.

"Max," Dylan stood, "I did." He said calmly. On instinct, I lunged at him, slamming him onto our lovely breakfast table, my hand enclosed around his throat.

"YOU LET HER GO?" My voice shrieked. I felt like something had control over me, something that wasn't me. Dylan locked his Bahama-blue eyes on me.

"She had a good reason." Dylan replied. I tightened my grasp, feeling every detail of his trachea.

"Where. Is. She?" I said with a tone of false calm, my jaw clenched so tightly that I thought my teeth might shatter.

"I don't-" Dylan was cut off by me squeezing his windpipe again.

"Don't lie to me. You _do_ know." I hissed in his ear. Dylan's face was flushing.

"Max-" It was Gazzy. The eight (or so) year old's voice barely registered in my mind. One side of me, deep down, like, way down there, was telling me to stop this, but the other side of me, the Maximum side, didn't like that idea.

"WHERE IS SHE DYLAN?" I shrieked, lifting his head up then slamming it back down. Dylan's face was a funny shade of purple, going on blue.

"Can't… tell…" He rasped, clawing at my hand.

"Max!" Gazzy cried.

"WHERE IS SHE?" His clawing was making my hand bleed, but I didn't even feel it.

"Stop it!" Gazzy yelled in a futile attempt to make me stop choking Dylan.

"You don't have to go all Batman on him!" Iggy exclaimed, arms flying up into the air.

I ignored them, getting onto the table and digging my knee into his stomach. I could feel his chest pulsing unevenly, searching for some way to get air. His face was blue as blue could be, and his eyes started rolling into the back of his head.

_Max. Enough._ Suddenly, I let him go, backing away as Dylan crashed to the floor, coughing and hacking and gasping, doing anything to get air back into his lungs. _Voice! _I thought angrily. No response, as expected. I looked down at the floor to where Dylan was laying.

If you take shock, blend it with a plentiful heap of terror, add a dash of oxygen deprivation, and stir it all together with a beautiful azure blue, that is describes-exactly-the look Dylan gave me.

"Max?" Gazzy was staring up at me, half hidden behind Iggy. The blind teen stared too, mouth slightly agape, eyes blank.

I stormed out of the condo that we were borrowing. My wings opened and positioned myself to run. _Max, where are you going? You can't run away._ Voice pointed out. _Good question, _I thought snarkily, _but who cares? I sure don't._ Taking a running start, I launched myself into the air.

Nudge needed to hurry if she wanted to land in the city. The sun was almost peeking over the horizon, and people were starting to move around. She could not be seen. She had hacked Fang's account to see where the signal was coming from and typed the address into Google maps, remembering the building. Her raptor vision allowed her to see the street signs from high up.

"42nd on Cass… there it is!" Nudge exclaimed, diving for the apartment building. She touched down on the roof. Nudge realized that she had no idea what room Fang was in. She groaned, walking over to the edge of a building. It dropped into a secluded alleyway, and, after she made sure the coast was clear, jumped down, using her wings to slow the decent.

She touched down without a sound on the concrete, folding in her wings. Smiling at her graceful landing, Nudge made her way to the street. Sunlight hit her face as she stepped out. Suddenly, a shadow crossed over her, and the avian stumbled back. A man stepped around the corner, blocking her path. Nudge whipped around to run, but another figure blocked the other side of the alley.

"What are you doing?" Nudge asked, struggling to keep her voice from shaking. The men just edged closer. They wore black clothing and shades, and their faces were sharp looking, mean, no doubt ready to spill blood. Nudge clenched her fists. She looked up, poised to take off, when she saw more of the men on the roofs.

Nudge knew immediately that these guys were no ordinary street gangsters. "Fang?" She called out timidly. The men laughed. "Fang!" Her voice grew louder.

"We know about you little girl," The first guy smirked. "You're not getting away." Nudge heard something above and looked up to see a net falling towards her.

_FANG!_

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><p>Wow, 2,000 words! I didn't really mean for this chapter to be so long… but whatever! R&amp;R!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

_FANG!_

Ratchet's head snapped up. He rubbed his eyes then glanced at the clock. 4:00 AM. The mutant groaned, slamming his head back into the pillow. Last night, he had been too lazy to put on his headphones, and now he regretted it. A confused expression slipped across his face, even though it was hidden in the pillow.

The noise that woke him up echoed through his mind again. It had sounded like a voice, a scream. Ratchet sighed, then kicked his legs over the edge of the couch. Without looking, he grabbed his Ray-Bans off the side table, fluently slipping them over his eyes. He got up and headed for the door, almost walking straight into Star. They both looked at each other with surprise, Ratchet's expression hidden by his sunglasses.

"Did you hear that?" He asked. Star raised an eyebrow.

"Course' you didn't." Ratchet murmured, edging past her and walking out the door.

Ratchet made his way down the stairs to the main level. He shouldered through the revolving door, stepping out onto the sidewalk. Immediately, the mutant regretted not wearing ear protection.

There was another scream; one that made Ratchet wince. He followed the cry back to its source, dashing to the back of the apartment complex. The teen caught sight of two men standing over a young girl who was tangled in a net. Her pleading eyes met Ratchet's.

Two men stepped in front of her, causing their gaze to break. The ex-gangster was now staring at the men. They both had on sunglasses and black clothing, and expressions that were not at all friendly.

"I'm not looking for trouble ok? Just let her go," Ratchet tried to negotiate, "I won't rat you out. Just let the girl go." He put up his hands, showing that he meant no harm. The men looked at each other, then back to Ratchet, grinning. The smiles creeped him out, sending a cold shiver up his spine.

Ratchet heard the net above him before it was even thrown. The trap came down, but he sidestepped it, the mass of rope catching noting but air. Ratchet sprang. His fist connected with the closest man's jaw, sending the foe reeling.

While Ratchet was off-balance, the other man tackled him around the waist, sending both of them to the ground. The back of the mutant's head cracked against the pavement. Temporarily dazed, the mutant's attacker wasted no time. He hammered Ratchet's face with his fist once, twice, three times. When Ratchet finally got his attacker off, he realized that his glasses were no longer covering his eyes. He was trying to adjust to the light when one of the men tried to sneak up on him. Tried. Ratchet spun around, his fist flying into the man's face. The foe flew back, colliding with a dumpster.

Ratchet ran over to the girl, wiping blood off his face while he simultaneously whipped out his pocketknife. She gasped. "N-n-no, I'm a good guy, alright?" He said quickly, sawing at the net.

"You ok?" Ratchet asked, snapping two ropes. His question of concern was acknowledged with a "look out!"

One of the men swung a pipe at Ratchet's head. He heard the weapon as it whistled through the air. Fluently, he ducked, then spun around, slashing out with the knife. The blade cut a deep line across the man's chest. Ratchet's eyes widened beneath his shades.

His assailant stumbled back, but lunged forward again, barely pausing despite the life-threatening injury. That's when Ratchet realized that these men weren't normal. The ex-gangster backed up, right into the grasp of the other man. He squeezed Ratchet, pinning the teen's arms to his sides. The mutant struggled, but the grip tightened, crushing him with strength that rivaled Kate's. Ratchet let out a shout of pain. The other man came over, fist raised.

Ratchet jerked his head back, knocking it into the man's forehead. He brought his feet up and slammed them into the chest of the man who was running at him. Ratchet was able to twist out of the grip. He stumbled past the man he kicked. The man stooped down and grabbed something, yanking it sharply. Ratchet was suddenly on his back, staring up at the sky, the breath knocked out of him. He had made a stupid mistake; stepping on the net that was thrown at him in the beginning of the fight. There was no time for him to get up. The men were on top of him instantly, slamming their fists into Ratchet's already bloodied face.

Nudge reached for the knife, but it taunted her, just inches away from her fingertips. She smiled. Not like that was much of a problem. She put her palm out and drew the weapon towards her. The avian's fingers curled around the handle, and she slashed at the rope. After a few more cuts, Nudge got to her feet, unfurling her wings full-force. The remaining ropes snapped, little sections of net strewn around her feet.

"You're messing with the wrong hybrid." Nudge growled. She could hear the men on the roof as they clambered down the fire escape. She turned to it, raising her arms. The old, rusty structure shuddered, but it wasn't enough. She closed her eyes and concentrated, not on the whole structure, but the bolts that bound it to the brick. There were a few small clattering sounds as metal hit the concrete, then a groan. Nudge used her wings to propel herself back a safe distance as the fire escape came down. She clapped her hands over her ears, ducking behind a dumpster, gritting her teeth at the loud BOOM!

The noise crashed into Ratchet with the force of a semi-truck. His back arched, mouth open in a silent scream. Then, he went limp, head lolling to the side.

Nudge stared at the three people who had been crushed by the fire escape, but she figured from the metal and wires jutting out of their skin that they weren't really people at all; not even human. Robots. She turned to the remaining men, who were looming over the boy who saved her.

He looked too still on the ground, his face covered in red. The sight of it made Nudge furious. These men wanted her, not him. Her hands rose up, and she attempted to pull the bots towards her. They looked at each other and laughed. She snarled and ran towards them, and used her wings to suspend herself in the air, granting her the perfect amount of time to deliver a roundhouse kick to one of the men. The other came at her, but Nudge pressed her palm to his forehead, kicking on her magnetic ability. The man-android went rigid, twitched, then broke down, falling to the bird girl's feet. The other came at her, but Nudge just pulled the same trick. After the mandroid collapsed, she ran to the boy.

His eyes were closed. Nudge looked at him, knowing that she had seen him before, and where. She glanced around, and spotted what she was looking for. The avian got up, grabbed the sunglasses, and carefully placed them onto the teen's bruised face.

Like magic, he immediately jerked awake, letting out a fit of coughs. His eyes looked through the lenses of his Ray Bans, focusing on the girl's face. "I know you… you were in Paris," he muttered.

"I'm Nudge." She answered. "I saw you too, you're with Fang. Oh! Where is Fang? See, I came here, well flew here, to-"

Ratchet lifted up a hand. "Ok, ok, enough talk. Head hurts. Let's just go inside, I'll take you to him." The teenager winced.

"Oh, yeah o-ok," Nudge stuttered somewhat sheepishly. Her and her big mouth. She reached down to help him up.

Ratchet reached up, grasping the girls arm. She hauled him to his feet. He had to lean on her a bit to keep his balance. To his surprise, she was actually strong, despite being so young, and, well, a girl. Ratchet scolded himself mentally. Kate was a girl, and she was definitely not weak.

"I'm Ratchet." The ex-gangster said. Nudge nodded.

"Well Ratchet," She seemed to be testing out his name, "let's get back to your gang."

_Fang's gang. _Nudge smiled.

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><p>Well, thanks Pennycat for being the only reviewer. I was a little surprised about that. As a writer, I <span>need<span> my readers' input. Tell me what you want to see more of! Correct my grammar errors! I'm going to keep writing this story, but the more reviews I get, the faster the updates will come and the longer the chapters will be!


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4~ Trouble

I don't know how far I flew, but when I landed, exhaustion forced me onto my hands and knees. The spot where my wings connected to my back burned like heck. I let my head hang as I caught my breath, sweaty strands of hair clinging to my neck and face.

Eventually, I recovered enough to get my bearings. I was kneeling on pine needle-covered moss, surrounded by tall trees. As my lungs and heart started working at a normal pace, my brain started functioning again, grasping questions that I (or anyone, for that matter) couldn't answer.

Why? Why me? Why did _my_ life have to be so messed up? Out of all the mutants in the entire world, why did I have to be the one with a deranged (and possibly psychopathic) clone following me around like a lost, lovesick, puppy?

_You're calling __him__ a psychopath? You do realize that you just tried to choke him to death, right? _

"SHUT UP!" I screamed. My hands gripped the ground, and I felt the sting of pine needles as they punctured my skin. I let out a scream, one that startled birds out of trees and made my own ears ring. That's right, how could I have forgotten adding the Voice to my Grand List o' Problems?

I stood up and punched the closest thing to me, which happened to be a large tree. Ow. A gasp tried to escape me, but I clenched my teeth, and the air came out as an angry hiss. I gripped my injured hand, trying to stop the blood that was already making my fingers slick.

"You don't need to take it out on the tree." I heard the voice behind me. Without thinking, I spun around, balling my un-injured hand into a fist and slamming into the face of-

Iggy.

The bird kid spun a full 360 before landing on his butt. His hand cupped his cheek with one hand, a look of complete shock conveyed on his face.

For a moment, I couldn't say anything. I just stood, staring down at him uncomprehendingly. Snapping out of my daze, I started to speak. "Iggy. I-I didn't know-"

He put up a hand. I watched as he slowly got to his feet, spitting blood out of his mouth.

"You…" Iggy started, but trailed off. He looked down and shook his head, trying to find the right words. After a moment, he brought his sightless gaze back up to me.

"You're insane, Max." Iggy concluded, wiping the corner of his mouth on the back of his hand. He grabbed his jaw and moved it around, checking to see if it functioned properly. I watched him, bewildered. My brain was having trouble making sense of what he just said.

"Wh… what?" I scoffed. His comment seemed completely random, but it started to sink in. It was true. I was crazy, cuckoo, two fries short of a Happy Meal… you get it. I tried to change the subject.

"How'd you find me?" I looked down at my feet, but I could feel the bird boy's unseeing eyes boring into me.

"You screamed. I have sensitive ears. Do the math." There was a slight quiver in his sarcastic voice, like how it shakes when you get angry.

I leaned against a tree, still clutching my throbbing hand. A dejected sigh escaped me and my shoulders slumped.

"I'm sorry." Yeah, I know it was insensitive, but c'mon, what else could I have said?

"Glad to hear it, but you know that 'sorry' doesn't cut it." Before I could say anything, Iggy continued.

"Things have changed, believe me, you aren't the only one who noticed, but there's nothing I wouldn't give to make us a family again. Sure, we were never a 'normal' family, but I'd rather have a happy flock of mutant bird kids with our talking dog than have everyone at each other's throats. Literally." He laughed a little bit. I frowned.

"What? Too soon for strangling jokes?" Iggy asked. The corners of my mouth turned up. I smiled, then tried not to, which of course made me grin even wider. Something bubbled up in my chest: laughter. I couldn't help but let out a snicker. Then, the giggles turned into something else.

My gut twisted, and the laughter transformed into sobs. I slid down the tree into a sitting position, legs straight out, the trunk supporting my back. Iggy's jaw dropped.

"Max… are you… _crying?_" he asked.

"No!" I replied hastily, but my voice was high-pitched. Way to be tough, Max. I quickly wiped my cheeks. No tears. Thank God. If any of my flockmates saw their fearless leader break down… I don't know what would happen.

Iggy came over, taking a seat on the opposite side of the tree that I had my back against. We just… sat there. It was quiet, but not awkward; you know, one of those nice silences where you can just enjoy not having to speak or think.

But after awhile of letting my mind go blank, bad thoughts started flooding my head. The back of my eyes started to sting. Crap. If I didn't say anything, I was gonna start crying.

"Iggy,"

"Yeah?"

"You're right… about everything. Things have changed… but… I don't know if we can ever be 'normal.' With Nudge and Fang and Angel gone…" I couldn't say any more.

"I know. It's just that… this whole 'two separate flock' thing is…"

"BS," both of us said simultaneously. We laughed.

"Max?"

"Yeah?"

"I… I heard Nudge leaving. I didn't- I couldn't stop her." Iggy muttered. My eyes widened. I whipped around to face him.

"Augh! Don't hit me!" The blind kid brought up his arms to protect his face. His voice sounded like he was joking, but there was a twinge of fear in his voice.

I looked down at my side to see that my hand was clenched. I shook the fist away. Inside, my heart sank. I felt awful; I had gotten that close to punching him… again.

"But… why didn't you stop her?" I struggled to keep my voice calm.

"Because Max!" Iggy jumped to his feet, throwing his arms into the air.

"Don't you see? She stepped up!" Slowly, I stood, staring at Iggy.

"Stepped up? For what?" I stared at him with a 'how hard did I hit you?' look. Of course, he couldn't see it.

"She left for a reason. Nudge is having the same problem we are. She went-" Just then, a twig snapped loudly. We both looked at each other.

When you're in the middle of a forest and a twig snaps loudly, it is a definite sign of trouble.

* * *

><p>Kate was eating breakfast when she heard a knock. Her head swiveled left and right, a puzzled expression on her face. Nobody should have a reason to come to their door. She dismissed it as her imagination. Then, there were was a rapid 'knock-knock-knock,' and a muffled "open up please!"<p>

She stood up, confused. Was this a trick? Kate had every right to be paranoid. She was a genetically enhanced super mutant, after all. The superhuman girl walked to the door and glanced through the peephole. Upon seeing who was outside, she gasped and swung the door open.

"W'sup Kate?" Ratchet slurred through his swollen lip.

"Ratchet! What happened? And uh, who are you?" Kate asked curiously, looking down at both the battered teenager and the girl supporting him.

"Well, he got beat up by some mandroids, and I'm Nudge!" The girl piped.

"Hey, what-" A blonde girl peeked around the corner. She caught sight of Ratchet.

"What the hell happened to you?" The girl seemed to be laughing.

"Ha. Yeah, Star. It's so funny when people get their faces beat in by superstrong robots." At that moment, Ratchet swooned, tipping forward.

"Whoa!" Nudge exclaimed, trying to hold the boy up. He would've fallen on her if the Asian girl hadn't stepped in. Kate hooked her arms under Ratchet's and half-carried half-dragged him past the blonde girl into the next room. Star watched them as they passed, then turned her attention back to Nudge.

"So... who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Nudge! I came all the way from- well, it doesn't really matter- what matters more is why I came-hey, is-" Nudge stopped her rambling suddenly when Fang appeared further down the hall. His eyes widened.

"FANG!" Nudge cried gleefully as she sprang forward, using her wings to propel herself. She crashed into the dark-haired avian, wrapping her arms around him. Fang lost his balance, falling to the ground.

"Soo… I take it you two know each other?" Star peered suspiciously at the bird-kid-doggie pile.

"Yeah! He's my older brother." Nudge replied. Star gave her a very skeptical look.

"Oh! I mean, you know, not really, but kinda, see, we were like, in this flock, you know, like birds!"

"Wow, I think we found somebody who can talk faster than you Star," Max's clone came around the corner.

"Oh! Hi M-Maya!" Nudge almost said 'Max' by mistake. She quickly tried to change the subject.

"So, I saw most of the gang-" As if on cue, shouting from the other room interrupted her.

"Ah!"

"Shut up you moron! I haven't even touched the cut yet!"

"Star,"

"C'mon Kate! He totally started it!"

"Oh, ok, blame this on the guy who got beat up."

"Yeah, you really got your ass whooped!"

"OW!" Both yelled simultaneously.

"Both of you: stop." There were grumbles, but not much else.

The three bird kids snickered.

"Ok, so that's part of the gang, but isn't there-"

"Hey, what's all the noise?" A sleepy-looking boy stepped out of his room, rubbing his eyes. He caught sight of Nudge and Fang, who were still on the floor.

"Uhh…" he started, contemplating what to do. There was a loud shout and a string of curses from the other room.

"… I think I'll go back to bed," he decided, retreating into his room.

But before Holden could get far, there was another knock on the door. Fang glanced up suddenly, looking at the door, then back to Nudge.

"You didn't bring anyone else, did you?" Fang's voice sounded frighteningly placid. Nudge's eyes were wide. She slowly shook her head.

The apartment was dead quiet as three slow knocks sounded off again.

"We're in big trouble." Maya whispered.

* * *

><p>Nudge Fan: Thanks, that means a lot!<p>

PhonixInTheAshes: Thank you! And I dunno, you'll just have to see ;)

As for all you other readers, well, thanks for reading! Make sure you tell me if you want to see more of someone!


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5~ Out of the frying pan, into the fire

Okay, lets recap: I'm in the middle of a secluded forest, when 'SNAP.'

Both Iggy and I went on red-alert. We were back-to-back in the blink of an eye, me scanning the trees for any sign of movement while Ig listened. It seemed like there wasn't a single sound in the entire forest; no wind, no birds chirping, no little furry creatures scampering through the underbrush, nothing. I'd seen enough action movies to know that this is the part where something crazy and drastic happens, I just didn't know when. Fortunately, my flockmate did.

"Hit the deck!" Iggy shouted suddenly, tackling me to the ground as something whistled over our heads. I didn't have time to look up and see what it was. Five guys- big, tough-looking ones- surrounded us.

"I don't suppose they're lost," Iggy whispered. I ignored his joke, rising slowly to my feet. He followed my lead. There was no need to ask if he was ready.

Simultaneously, we both sprung into action. I collided with one of the men, blinding him with my wings before giving him a generous kick to the face. He lurched to the side, cracking his head on a tree trunk. As I went in to attack again, I saw that he wasn't bleeding, but his skin looked distorted and inhuman. I smiled.

"Good news! They're bots!" I shouted, leaping at my foe again. This time, he saw me coming, and grasped both of my wings. I winced, but quickly reached out, grabbing both sides of his head and twisting sharply. He went rigid, my wings still in his grasp as he started to fall backwards. Quickly, I tried to pry his fingers out of my feathers, but I wasn't fast enough.

Something smacked my face, causing me to roll down a small incline then crash back first into a tree. Through my fuzzy vision, I could see a man stumbling down the hill towards me. Using the tree, I tried to get my feet back underneath my body, but I was moving too slowly. Suddenly, Iggy swooped down out of the canopy, grabbing the man-droid and flinging him into the trees.

Up on the top of the hill, there were now ten droids looking down at us, and surely more to come. Iggy grabbed my arm and helped me to my feet.

"Fight or flight, what's it gonna be Max?" Iggy asked, glaring ahead with his sightless eyes at our attackers. As much as I love a good brawl, our odds weren't exactly the best, and here in the middle of nowhere, there aren't any reinforcements. I gritted my teeth.

"Flight!" I shouted. We both snapped out our powerful wings and sprung skyward, bursting out of the forest canopy.

"That was too close!" I shouted over the wind as we sailed up into the blue sky.

"Yeah, way too- LOOK OUT!" Iggy grabbed my foot, yanking me down as something flew at me. Something snagged my left wing, wrenching me out of Iggy's grasp.

I started to spiral out of control, one wing out, one trapped at my side, tangled hopelessly in a net.

A shadow passed over me, and I felt myself jolt as Iggy grabbed the net. "Tuck your wing in!" He shouted. I obeyed. "Now just trust me!" Iggy said. I couldn't respond- I was too busy staring at the earth only a few hundred feet below, growing closer and closer by the second. I could feel Iggy above me, yanking harshly on the ropes.

"Iggy," I said. No response, just more tugging on my wing.

"Ig!" I yelled, making sure my voice could be heard over the buffets of wind and wings.

"One second!" He shouted tightly. Still staring wide-eyed at the ground below, I shouted back:

"YEAH? AND WE'RE ALMOST BIRD-KID PANCAKES-" Iggy suddenly interrupted with a "Got it! Go!"

I snapped out my wings, catching the updraft suddenly and painfully, wincing as my tendons strained as they adjusted to the sudden pressure. Using my feet to kick off the ground, I cut up sharply. Iggy was circling above.

"Jeez Ig, I think you could've taken a little more time," I said breathlessly. He laughed.

"I guess it was a little payback." He grinned, tapping his swollen cheek. "C'mon, let's-" He stopped, listening for a moment. Suddenly, Ig's eyes widened. "Scatter!"

Iggy and I shot apart just as a net shot through the place we had been hovering moments ago. We performed a wonderful array of spins, loops, and dives- enough to make even the most veteran circus acrobats nauseous. The nets kept whistling by me, all of them close, but none meeting their target.

After a few minutes of continuous loop-de-loops and barrel rolls, the nets stopped coming. I wiped a drop of sweat off my brow.

"Phew, that wasn't so bad," I said, expecting Iggy to come up with a witty joke. But there was no response.

"Ig?" I spun in a 360. He was nowhere in my sight. I looked left again. Nope. Then right. Nope. Up? Nope.

Then, a sickening thought made my stomach to twist.

I looked down.

There, a pale speck against a sea of green, was Iggy, plummeting down towards the forest below.

* * *

><p>kittychow: Aww, I'm really sorry it took me so long! This chapter is a little short, but that's because I broke it in half so I can update faster, so that's good!<p>

NudgeIsAwesome3: Haha I know! I love Nudges character and I really wish Patterson would have shown her more :(

Bolinlover123: Aww thanks! Nevermore is out (but wow it is not very satisfying) and I sure will!

My plan from now on is to update slightly shorter chapters so I can update faster. And I know this story hasn't been updated in a while, but I was trying to figure out what I was going to make this fic. After reading 'Nevermore', I've decided this is basically my idea of what I wished had happened after 'Angel', which is basically less love triangle, more action and more of the side characters that should never have been side characters in the first place.


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